The Midnight Club
by Alyssa C
Summary: [DL][Post ep:Live or Let Die] Lindsay becomes involved in the Pratt case. But when she start's there is no turning back. Luckily, someone is there to see her through it. Rated for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, here is yet another story by me. This is just a prolouge of sorts. If you like, I'll continue. **

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine. If they were, Danny and Lindsay would be doing it already!**

* * *

Lindsay Monroe opened the door to the interrogation room with her head held high. She had been waiting for this day for weeks–months now and he was long overdue for this. She felt his eyes on her as she pulled up a chair and sat opposite of him. Placing the manilla folder in front of her, Lindsay crossed her arms on the folder and squared of the piece of filth in front of her.

"Do you know why you are here?" she finally asked in a clam, even tone. Her eyes never wavered from his. She wouldn't let him feel like he had a hold on her that she was just another woman in his eyes and, if anything, she was far from it.

He shrugged leisurely and Lindsay had the compelling urge to reach over and smack the smug smile off his face. She withheld, however, simply because it would most likely get her fired. He licked his lips and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the edge of the steel table. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

She had expected this. And she had planned for it. "I have an idea." She challenged, her fingers itching to open the folder and show him the gruesome pictures she was sure he was all to familiar with. "Why don't you tell me where you were the night of last Tuesday?" she suggested in a soft, manipulative voice.

"I was at home."

"Do you have an alibi?"

He cocked his head to one side, his smile never faltered. "My next doors neighbor." He replied smoothly. "She got locked out of her apartment and I waited with her until she was able to contact the landlady about it."

The way he spoke sent shivers up and down her spine. He made her stomach lurch and she wanted nothing more to do that slap cuffs onto his wrist and make him pay for what he did to those women. Lindsay knew he was guilty. Hell, the whole lab knew he was guilty, but Pratt wasn't an idiot. He had killed before and he wouldn't get sloppy now.

Leaning back, she opened the folder and pulled out a picture of Tanya McCain. A young girl who was attending NYU. Brutally raped, then killed. It not only saddened Lindsay but disgusted her as well. "You see this girl?" she asked, pushing the picture into his direction. He merely glared down at it, his stance never quivering. "We found her raped and killed in a back alley over on 135th street in Harlem. And, wouldn't you know it, we found your sperm on her." she continued in the wake of his silence.

She had triggered something inside him, she could tell. He scooted his chair closer to the table, his attention now focused on her and only her. "Want the truth? I'll give it to ya!" he spat, his eyes inflamed with anger. "The bitch was a fuck, that's all. She offered and accepted, that's that." He stated matter of factly.

"So, you're saying she was a prostitute?" she deducted and he nodded.

Lindsay nodded as she reached over and took the picture. Pratt grabbed her wrist and forced her to look at him. "I don't care what the hell you find out about me." He hissed as the cop guarding the door rushed forward and lifted Pratt onto his feet. "I didn't kill the bitch!"

The guard yanked him forward and out the door, leaving Lindsay alone in the dimly lit room. Looking down at her wrist, she noticed a red ring forming and she tugged her sleeve down, not wanting it to show.

Quickly gathering her papers, she hastily made her way out of the interrogation room.

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Please, R&R! I update so much faster! Any critquing, I can handle! It's good for me, too!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:Thanks so much for the reviews! I love them and you don't know how much I appreciate them!**

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Danny Messer watched from behind the glass as Lindsay interrogated D.J. Pratt. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest and his legs parted in a strong stance. He listened as Lindsay cooly asked him about Tanya. He didn't want her to go in there. She didn't know what he was like; what he had not only done to all of his victims, but what he had done to Aiden's career.

As the interrogation went on, his muscles relaxed some what as he noticed how in control she was handling it. Maybe this was going to be okay, he thought cautiously. Until she stood up to leave when Pratt grabbed her wrist and muttered something to Lindsay that Danny couldn't hear.

His blood boiled as he stepped closer to the glass and was relieved when the tall Hispanic guard yanked him away from Lindsay and dragged him out of the room. Danny walked out of the back room and made his way toward the interrogation room just as Lindsay was walking out. Her head was ducked and the case file was pulled against her chest. "I saw you in there with Pratt." He called out to her.

She looked up and nodded. "Yeah," she began. "Then you know that not only does he have an alibi for that night, but he's got a valid excuse for having sex with her." Her tone was icy and laced with disgust.

Danny watched her closely and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried for her. She hardly went home lately, staying over hours and throwing herself into the case. She was getting too involved and really, could he blame her? Case after case of women being raped, killed and all roads leading back to the same man, yet they could never get him.

"Listen," she continued after he watched her in silence for a few minutes. "I'm going to go meet up with Stella." She shook her head, her eyes drifting around the room. "Maybe I'll go and talk to some of her friends. I just . . . ya know, but I don't see her as a prostitute."

Danny nodded. He wasn't working the case with her, but in the break room they had discussed it once or twice. She was throughly involved in this case, no doubt about that. Not once giving up. He watched her check every piece of evidence two, three times over, just to make sure she didn't miss anything. Danny admired her dedication, but even he had to admit that there was a fine line between dedication and obsession.

He watched her leave, walking down the hall until she was out of site. Danny shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans and let out a low sigh. She was getting too involved, he apprehended with a frown. He didn't want to see her get too wrapped up in this case and he defiantly didn't want to see her do something that she would later regret.

Turning on the balls of his feet, he walked toward AFIS to see if they had anything pertaining to his case.

* * *

Lindsay glanced around at her surroundings, taking in the lived in dormitory of NYU. The student's littered the hallway and flyers, post-its and different kinds of ads stuck to the walls. She ran her tongue over her lips absentmindedly as Stella reached over and knocked on the door of Tanya's roommate, Sarah Isaacs.

After her interview with Pratt, Lindsay had wanted to race out of the room and find Stella as fast as she could, but Danny had met her when she walked out. She didn't like the way he looked at her. Like he, for some reason, felt sorry for her. She didn't want his pity.

Lindsay was drawn back to reality when she and Stella heard the faint sound of a woman speaking to them through the hard wood door. "Who is it?" She sounded young and a little anxious.

Stella turned to look at Lindsay and the two women shared a looked. It was obvious that with the death of her friend, Sarah wasn't taking any chances with her safety. Lindsay found herself thankful that the young woman was taking such precautions. "It's the police." Stella voiced. "We're with the crime lab and we were just wondering if we could ask you a few questions about Tanya?"

Lindsay noticed that she was peaking through the door's tiny peephole. "Can I see some badges?" she inquired, her voice a little louder. "Please." She added quickly.

Both women reached for the badges on their belts and raised them to the door for the student to see. Hearing a mumbled string of curses, the door swung open. Standing in the door frame was a petite girl that looked to be in her early twenties. Possibly the same age as Tanya, Lindsay observed. Her hair was cropped short and she wore black trimmed glasses that were perched on the bridge of her nose. She stepped aside and let the officers in.

Lindsay turned to see that she didn't close the door fully, but simply left it ajar. Her arms instinctively went around her torso. "So, what do you want?" she bit off with a shrug of her shoulders. "I've already been through all the questions that you . . . you _people_ have asked. What more do you want?" her tone of voice was so bitter, so accusing, that it was one of the things that tormented Lindsay.

Lindsay breathed in deeply. It was visible that the younger woman was angry at the sudden death of her friend and she was looking for someone to blame. Lindsay couldn't condemn her for grieving. "We," she paused briefly, trying to figure out the right way to phrase her words. "Have reason to believe that Tanya was a prostitute." She spoke lightly.

Sarah's face fell. She shook her head. "How did you find out about that?" she ducked her head and whispered as if there were more people crowding the cramped space. Before giving either investigator a chance to respond, Sarah spoke on her friend's behalf. "It was just a short term thing. She just needed the money. That's all."

Lindsay was crestfallen. So Pratt wasn't lying? Well, it was very well possible that he could have been lying, but he had a legitimate alibi and excuse for being with Tanya the night of her murder.

Damn it.

* * *

"Okay, here we go."

Lindsay jumped at the sound of a male voice breaking her train of thought. Turning in her seat, she watched as Danny made his way toward her with both hands tightly gripped around Styrofoam cups. He was heavily concentrated on not spilling the liquid. Her lips curved into a small smile as he set one cup down in front of her.

"Coffee, two sugars, one creme." His face was beaming, lightening up his strong facial features. Lindsay noted how proud of himself he looked and with a shake of her head, she laughed softly.

"You know what I take in my coffee?" she asked, running her hand over her face tiredly and resting her hand on the back of her neck. She titled her head slightly as she observed him with a teasing glint in her eye.

Danny pulled up a chair beside her and started at the task of removing case files away from her. "Well," he began, looking over at her "When you make it habit of making six cups in one night, a person can kind of notice a pattern."

Danny began to stack the folders into a neat file on the far side of the desk as she watched him attentively. "What are you doing?" she asked. "I appreciate the coffee, but I'm trying to work." She spoke and all the while he had a that stupid smirk plastered to his face. And Lindsay couldn't find it in herself to be angry at him.

"You work way too much." He told her as he sat down and brought the cup to his lips. She didn't speak, feeling that he wasn't done talking. He wasn't. "Besides, your beginning to look as if you haven't slept in a few days and I think that you need to go home and rest." He advised with a raise of his eyebrows.

Lindsay tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear and looked between the coffee and him. "So this was just a bribe." She nudged her head to the hot liquid in front of her.

With a shrug of his shoulders he grinned, showing off his perfect teeth. He had a great smile, she observed. "My little way of telling you to get lost." He lifted the cup toward her in a mock toast. "Take it however you want."

This time, Lindsay laughed. It felt good to laugh; she really needed that right now. This case was all that she thought about lately. Evidence, victims, suspects. It was draining her and she really just needed to stop. "Your concern is touching." She giggled as she grabbed her coffee and took a small drink.

He shot her a toothy grin and said nothing. It didn't really bother Lindsay too much, however. She was content to sitting in silence with him. "She was a prostitute." She said, bringing him to light regarding her case. The mood of the conversation took a complete turn as Danny shook his head and Lindsay continued. "We talked to her roommate again today and that's when she told us that Tanya was having a hard time paying for college and she needed a little extra cash. Apparently her parents cut her off." She explained desolately.

"I don't know what to do." She carried on. "I mean, he was my main suspect, we found his semen inside of her." They both knew whom she meant when she said 'him.' Danny didn't interrupt her and she appreciated it. Lindsay placed the cup down in front of her and ran her fingers through her hair. "We're back at square one."

He watched her closely. "Don't give up." He vocalized softly, giving her arm a slight squeeze. "You're a great CSI and I know that you will be able to get this guy." He paused for a moment, and he regarded her thoughtfully. "Maybe he isn't your guy."

Lindsay knew that in the back of her mind that it was possible. That D.J. Pratt was possibly innocent, but in two similar cases there was nothing indicating that he was the killer. Just the known fact that he had intercourse with the woman. She nodded her head slowly and with a sigh, she added. "Thanks for the coffee, Danny."

He offered a small smile before pushing the chair back and coming to his feet, the coffee cup still clutched in his hand. "No problem." He tossed the cup into a nearby trash bin and turned to look at her before walking out of the room. "Go him. Get some sleep. You need it."

Lindsay chuckled. "Thanks."

He walked out and left down a corridor that led to the exiting stairwell. Her gaze drifted to the stack of case files that sat across the table from her. She was grateful that she and Danny had become friends. She laughed to herself at the thought of when she first moved to New York and beginning the odd one out. That didn't last long as she saw herself becoming more and more apart of the lab.

That's when it hit her. She couldn't go home, not yet anyway. She had to see someone, talk to them first. It may not help, but it was worth a shot.

* * *

Lindsay glanced down at the blue pen smears that gracedthe palm of her left hand.It was the address that she has spent at least twenty minutes looking up. She didn't want to go around the lab, asking everyone insight if they knew her address number. It would have drawn too much attention to herself.

Yup, she nodded to no one in particular. This is the place. Raising her hand, she knocked on the door. She hoped and prayed that this wouldn't lead her to another brick wall. That was the last thing she needed. And Lindsay prayed that she didn't resent her.

In the midst of her worrying, the door swung open and she was face to face with a stunningly beautiful woman. Lindsay was taken back because, somehow with the name Aiden, she just assumed that she would be a tomboy, wearing big baggy sweats and cropped hair. But that certainly wasn't the case. She was sheek, poised and even though she hadn't said anything yet, she radiated attitude. The kind of woman that came to mind when one though of the big apple.

"Yeah?" Aiden Burns finally spoke, her voice thick with an accent that reminded her of Danny.

After a moment, Lindsay shook her head. Having found her voice, she said, "I'm Lindsay Monroe. I work with the crime lab and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?"

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**So, that's the end of this chapter. Please let me know what you think! The reviews rock! It inspires me!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait in updating. Once again, the reviews are inspiring! Be forwarned that this chapter sucks. It's written bad, so, yeah. :)**

**Chapter Three:**

After a moment, Lindsay shook her head. Having found her voice, she said, "I'm Lindsay Monroe. I work with the crime lab and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?"

Her brown eyes scanned Lindsay up and down, sizing her up. She obviously had some idea that Lindsay was the one that had replaced her just a few months' prior.

Lindsay waited for a few moments before the other woman finally spoke. "What do you want?" she didn't sound angry or bitter. In fact, she sounded disinterested.

Lindsay averted her gaze down to her shoelaces. A sudden wave of nervousness overwhelmed her. "Actually," she started, clearing her throat and looking up to make eye contact with Aiden. She thrust her hands into the pockets of her thin coat as she twiddled her fingers anxiously. "I was wondering if I could come in?"

Aiden Burns pursed her lips and looked around, as if she was contemplating letting Lindsay in. Lindsay caught the corner of her bottom lip in between her teeth as she waited for Aiden to let her in, or reject her and tell her to get lost. After a few awkward moments of silence, Aiden pushed open her front door and let her step inside.

When they were both inside her apartment, Lindsay's eyes began to scan the interior of the room. It was really cute, comfortable and lived in. She turned a full circle to see the petite brunette standing by the door with her arms crossed over her chest. She was waiting for Lindsay to explain why she was there.

"I know we've never met." She started off slowly. "But I wanted to ask you a few questions about a case that you were working on."

Lindsay noticed the rise of her eyebrow and saw that she had caught the woman's interest. Even though she hadn't told Aiden what case she was referring to, Lindsay realized didn't have to. She already knew. So Lindsay spoke in the wake of her silence. "There has been a string of rape's as well as murders for the past couple of weeks and we haven't been able to collect enough evidence to convict anyone yet. That is . . . " Her voce trailed off.

"D.J. Pratt." Aiden finished her sentence for her. She shook her head in disgust. "I knew that he would strike again. Sick bastard." She spat. Lindsay noted the venom in the woman's eyes as she shook her head. Aiden finally turned to Lindsay. "Well, what do you want me to do about it? It's not like I've still got my job."

Lindsay nodded in understanding. "No, I know that." She responded quickly. Moistening her lips with the tip of her tongue, Lindsay wanted to scream out for help. Anything to get this guy caught; to get him behind bars. She had been working this case for a few weeks now and she saw their bodies. Processed the scenes. Nobody understood. Except for Aiden. Hell, she had lost her job over it. "You're the only one that gets it. That has seen their faces. You know what it's like to come so close to justice, but then suddenly, he walks and you just know that he is _guilty_."

They were silent as Aiden watched her closely. Her arms remained neatly folded over her chest. She didn't say anything, simply watched her. "I was wondering if you could tell me anything about your cases." Lindsay proceeded. "I have read all your notes and the case files of the victims, but it's not the same as if coming from you."

After a little while, Aiden nodded. "Okay, fine." She gave in.

* * *

Lindsay brought her hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn when her gaze traveled to her watch to check the time. Her eyes widened as he sat up straight and ran her fingers haphazardly through her hair. "I better get going." She replied tiredly.

Aiden twisted on the couch and turned to the small black clock that rested on her side table. She nodded and stood up. "Okay, well, I hope I helped." She offered a small smile.

Lindsay returned the tentative smile and grabbed her jacket and shrugged into it. As she headed to the door, Aiden called out to her. "Hey, can you keep me up to date with this case?" she asked shyly and Lindsay grinned.

"Sure." She nodded and raised the papers that were clutched in her hand tightly and waved them in a fair well. "Thank you for these. I appreciate it." And with that, Lindsay left the apartment and shut the door behind her.

Going over here hadn't been a waste after all, she thought with a small smirk as she folded the papers and stuffed them into her pockets. She yawned again and began her descent down the winding stair cases to head for home. She could get a few hours of sleep in before she had to be back at work.

* * *

Danny watched her as she climbed out of his bed and started her trek toward the bathroom. He ran his hand over his face and let out a low groan. He heard the shower start and knew that she was, once again, staying the night at his place.

He really liked her and it wasn't one of those things where he'd sleep with her and after a few weeks their relationship would run dry and then he would decide to call it quits. No, after Cindy, Elicia was different.

They had met on the subway a few weeks ago and he noticed how cute she was. When they began to talk and things started off slow, he was amazed at how fast he had fallen for her. She knew him, what he did for a living; his attitude. She knew and recognized one of his black moods and steered clear of him to give him space. Oh, He liked her a lot.

"Hey," he heard her call out from the bathroom. Danny turned to his side so that he could hear her a little better over the running water and bustling city of New York. "Do you have to work this weekend?"

Danny yawned and reached out toward the night stand to pull on his glasses. He had talked to Mac earlier this week about giving him the weekend off, but the older man would have none of it. It had led to another heated discussion between the two men about Danny's responsibilities to the lab. He wouldn't tell Elicia that the argument had started because he wanted to spend more time with her. "Yeah, I have to work." He replied gruffly, his voice thick with sleep.

"That's too bad," she spoke ruefully. "I was hoping that we could spend Saturday off." He could hear the pout in her voice and Danny smiled to himself as a mental image of Elicia played in his mind. Her bottom lip would stick out, making her lips look plump and her eyes would downcast in a mixture of hurt and confusion.

After a few more minutes of lying lazily in bed, Danny pushed the overs off of his body and swung his legs off the side of the bed. After rolling his head from side to side and worked out the kinks in his muscles, he stood to start getting dressed for the day. Elicia took long, and hot showers and he knew never to get one right after her. Unless he was in the shower right along with her.

Elicia came out of the bathroom and padded barefoot toward him. He smiled as the scent of soap and shampoo filled the room. She was wrapped in one of his large green towels and she was dripping water onto the wooden floors. He didn't mind though. The only thought that even registered with him was the fact that underneath the towel, she was wet and nude.

Danny coiled his arms around her petite frame and nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck. She let out a squeal of delight as the towel fell from her body and dropped to the floor.

* * *

Lindsay wiped the sleep from her eyes as she drowsily entered the lab the next morning. When she had swaggered into her apartment earlier that morning, she didn't even bother showering. She merely kicked off her shoes, tossed her jacket onto the brown, overstuffed chair and collapsed onto her mattress. Sleep came instantly.

It had felt like she had only received a few minutes of rest when her alarm clock sounded her awake. Lindsay was _this_ close to calling in Mac and requesting a day off, but her conscience got the best of her. So, here she was, dead on her feet.

Slowly, as to not spill the coffee that she was sipping, she cautiously made her way to the locker room to start of the day that already seemed too long. Letting out another tired yawn, she maneuvered past some lab techs that stood by the glass doors. She set the Starbucks brand of coffee down on the wood bench when she heard a soft chuckle. Turning, she saw a very entertained Danny coming toward her.

"You look like crap." He observed as a cocky smirk adorned his face.

Lindsay glanced up at him over her shoulder and shot him a sardonically sweet smile. "Always the gentleman."

Danny laughed and proceeded to his own locker. He always loved bantering with Lindsay. At first he just did it for kicks. He saw that it got a rise out of her and he liked the way her facial features hardened. But she soon caught onto the little game that he played with her and she left him on his toes more often than not.

But lately it was different. She was so absorbed into the Pratt case that she hardly had time to sleep, and it showed. Her face was blanched and she had dark smudges under her normally vibrant brown eyes. She had lost weight, he noticed, as his eyes grazed down her slender frame. Danny wanted to shake her out of this, because every time a new body came up, she always blamed herself. For not finding new evidence, for not making the connections in time. And it would send her deeper into the case.

"What?" she asked, breaking him out of his thoughts and brought him back to the locker room where she stood watching him, watching her.

He shook his head and, soundlessly, turned back to his locker. An awkward silence settled between the two of them as they both went through the procedures of getting ready for the day. He didn't want to stand there in silence. He willed his mind to say something, anything, but his mouth stayed shut. So, after a full three minutes of thinking up something to say, he turned to her and said: "Do you have to work this weekend?" _Smooth. _

He inwardly cringed as she shook her head and glanced up at him while attaching her badge to her belt. "No." She sighed. "No, I don't have to work this weekend, but I think I might pick up some extra hours."

Danny watched her and wanted to tell her to take it easy on this case, but rather he kept quiet. "Yeah, lucky you." He responded dejectedly. "I've been working four weeks straight without a break. But when I talked to Mac about giving me a weekend off, he started going on about my responsibilities to the lab."

He shut the door of his locker with a sound slam and the two of them made their way to the break room before Mac started handing out assignment. He heard her chuckle and Danny looked down at her as they wove their way around detectives and scientists. "You're a big whiner. You know that?"

"What?"

A small smirk graced her face. When she turned to take a look at him, she noticed the offended look and laughed softly. "Oh, please. It's just one weekend. I'm sure you'll live." She assured him teasingly. They rounded a corner together and Lindsay continued. "Back in Montana, I worked two months straight." She spoke in a matter of fact tone.

"That's because you guys had to work around cows." He muttered.

Lindsay turned to Danny in disbelief. "We do not work around cows." She refuted his playful accusations. Lindsay paused momentarily, then added. "Well, once when I was a rookie . . . " her voice trailed off and Danny ducked his head and laughed. "Well, the idiot went around a cow pasture killing off cows. And that's the only time!" she spoke with a defensive attitude.

She heard him chuckle and Lindsay felt her cheeks burn a shade of scarlet. She ducked her head so that he wouldn't be able to see her embarrassment. For something to do, she lifted her cup to her mouth and took a small drink of her now lukewarm coffee.

As the two made their entrance into the break room, Danny walked over to join Stella and Hawkes at the coffee machine while Lindsay took one last swing of the sugar infested drink before tossing it into a near by trash bin.

"Lindsay?" a stern voice grabbed her attention. Turning to face the inquirer, she noticed that Mac Taylor stood beside her. He touched her elbow to lead her away from the rest of the group and Lindsay followed curiously.

"I know that you have been working on the rapes and murders of those women for the past few weeks now," he spoke once they were out of ear shot; not wasting any time. Lindsay shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans, a funny feeling arising in the pit of her stomach. The tone is Mac's made her uneasy at the direction the topic was heading. However, he continued. "There has been another body found."

Lindsay was speechless. She removed her hands from her pockets and they fell limply to her side. Dammit, she knew this would happen eventually. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She simply hung her head when the cool voice of her boss brought her back to the present.

"I want you to go out to the scene and start processing." He told her plainly and Lindsay nodded. She was going to get this guy. "Once I hand out the cases, I'll be out to join you. The body was found early this morning on the corner Bank street in the Village. Flack is there waiting."

He gave her, what looked like a weak smile before turning and heading back to the rest of the crew. Lindsay felt her pulse quicken with anger. Turning sharply, she made her way back to the locker room to grab her kit. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Please R&R! Let me know what you think! All ideas are welcome::hint: 


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